Key to extant Hercinothrips species (females)

1. Head and pronotum partly or completely yellow............................................................. 2

-. Head and pronotum brown.............................................................................. 8

2. Head with anterior half yellow, posterior half brown, at least laterally; pronotum varying, brown with large yellow areas sometimes with pronounced dark brown strips but never completely yellow........................................... 3

-. Head completely yellow, or yellow with posterior brown band; pronotum yellow................................... 4

3. Antennal segments VI–VIII yellow; fore wing median pale area about 2.0 times as long as first dark cross band; metascutellum about 3.5 times as wide as long [male tergite IX with three pairs of spine-like setae medially, posterior pair slightly weaker and aligned longitudinally with anterior two pairs]....................................................... bicinctus

-. Antennal segments VI–VIII brown, fore wing median pale area small or absent; metascutellum more than 3.5 times as wide as long.......................................................................................... femoralis

4. Pronotum yellow, sometimes with lateral brown spots (Figs 14–15)............................................. 5

-. Pronotum yellow with three brown longitudinal lines (Fig. 3).................................................. 7

5. Hind femora brown medially; fore wings with dark cross bands about as long as median pale area; mesonotum and metanotum mainly brown with yellow areas medially [male tergite IX with the posterior pair of median setae weaker and lateral from the other two median pairs]......................................................................... dimidiatus

-. Hind femora yellow; bands on fore wing various; mesonotum and metanotum deeply yellow......................... 6

6. Fore wing with two white and two dark areas well differentiated; mid and hind femora light brown, rest of legs yellow; male tergite IX with three pairs of spine-like setae longitudinally aligned....................................... pattersoni

-. Fore wing brown with white spot at base; all legs yellow; male unknown..................................... jansei

7. Fore wing base dark brown, medially without a pale area (Fig. 20); mid tibia bicolored, brown at base but yellow from middle to apex; hind tibia bicolored, brown at base then yellow for 2/3 of length (Fig. 21); metanotum usually with campaniform sensilla between main setae (Fig. 22) male unknown........................................................ trilineatus

-. Fore wing base with white band reaching to costal vein (Fig. 11), basal vein with brown area medially; mid and hind tibiae completely yellow (Fig. 18); metanotum usually with campaniform sensillae lateral to metanotal setae (Fig. 23); male tergite IX with distance between posterior pair of spine-like setae about 1.5 times the distance between median setal pair................................................................................................. splendens n. sp.

8. Hind tibiae bicolored, mainly brown medially with one or two pale areas in the apical and basal part (Fig. 17)..... H. tenuis

-. Hind tibiae golden yellow (Fig. 18)...................................................................... 9

9. Fore wing median pale area less than half length of first dark cross band; metascutellum no more than 4.5 times as wide as long; tergite VIII comb lateral teeth short, no more than 2.0 times as long as distance between them (Fig. 16); male tergite IX with median spine-like setae much stronger than two postero-lateral pairs...................................... aethiopiae

-. Fore wing median pale area longer than first dark cross band; metascutellum more than 5.0 times as wide as long; tergite VIII comb lateral teeth longer, up to four times as long as distance between them (Fig. 19); male tergite IX with all spine-like setae very thick..................................................................................... brunneus